Quite the Handful
by xcrysto
Summary: The Doctor has a perfect night planned out for River that first time he whisks her out of Stormcage, but quickly finds out that the young River Song is just that and she's...rather more of a handful than he's used to...


_This story takes place after the mini-episodes 'First Night' and 'Last Night' on the series six box sets, and if you haven't seen them go and watch them! I don't have the DVDs myself either, those two episodes are up on youtube : )_

_That description the Doctor gave of where he was taking her sounded too brilliant to not write about, and I was very much inspired by River being all young and in wonder and looking at the Doctor like she wanted to eat him lol. So if you haven't watched those episodes there are obviously minor spoilers here I suppose, but really, just go watch them on youtube before reading this they're wonderful!_

_Quick thanks to everyone who reviewed and faved my last Doctor/River fic, and all of them actually, I've been absolutely thrilled with the wonderful response I've got to my Who fanfiction and it's very much inspired me to keep writing more!_

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><p>The Doctor had been right, Calderon Beta did look rather boring at first sight, and as they walked through the town, River's hand slipped into his, she found that he hadn't been exaggerating about the chip shops either - there was literally one on every corner. But, once they'd climbed aboard the little speed boat he rented and were flying out over the night waves towards the mountain that seemed to be a little island of its own, she began to see the beauty of it.<p>

The stars had been bright enough then, hardly an inch of the sky appeared to be without one, and as they made their way from where he'd parked their boat up the steps carved into the cliff they only got brighter. The lift had been settled just where he said it would be, at the base of the gigantic white tree that grew straight out of the cliff top. How he knew about it she had no idea - it didn't seem like there was another soul on the whole island. She'd breathed in the sweet ocean air as the open lift had climbed steadily up the tree, right up through it's magnificent branches until it came to a halt near the top and the Doctor had led her out.

She'd been amazed to find herself on a huge branch, probably five feet wide which had been carved into to make a flat surface. Silver heels in hand, she'd rushed to the edge with a breathless laugh where the platform-type area ended in a semi-circle, and hung out over the railing that surrounded the edge, eagerly looking around her in wonder. The stars were as bright and aplenty as he'd said they would be - the sky appeared to be glittering, and the black ocean below sparkling in reflection of it.

The Doctor had remained quiet as she took in the incredible sights, watching her with a small smile on his face, and then taking her by the hand, he'd lead her into the middle to sit with him on the small blue-chequered blanket he'd laid out.

"So River Song," He finally breaks the awed silence she'd fallen into since she'd stepped into the lift that he hadn't wanted to disturb. "More stars than any being in the universe has ever seen in one sky at one time…only me and you." He turns to look at her with a smile, watching her face, illuminated by the sparkling starlight as she gazes up at the sky. "What do you think?"

She shakes her head, gazing about her in wonder. "Is this a real tree?"

His face falls. "I give you all the stars in the universe and you ask about the _tree?_"

She laughs a little. "Sorry sweetie. The stars are beautiful. I was just wondering, is all. She looks down and out across the ocean. "It is a _very_ big tree. And it has a lift in it. So is it real?"

He laughs too then. "Yes, it's real. Oldest tree on the planet. Or - well, it will be."

"Why does it have a lift?"

"Why not? It would be a hell of a climb without one."

She laughs again and when her laughter fades to a smile she shakes her head in amazement with a sigh. "Oh Doctor. It's never going to be just dinner and a movie with you is it?"

Smiling back, he taps her on the nose affectionately. "Somehow I don't think you're a dinner-and-a-movie kind of girl so I can't see that that will ever be a problem."

Grinning, she shuffles closer to him. "Oh, I'm not."

"Well good then."

She is looking at him, a glint in her eye and a smile on her face. "Good," she repeats, her voice just above a whisper. He smiles and tries to look away but her eyes are still on him, dragging his own back to them.

"What?"

She raises her eyebrows and moves another bit closer to him.

"What?" He repeats, feeling himself grow a little warm under her continuing burning gaze.

She leans in a tad bit more so their faces are mere inches apart, glances down at his lips and hints softly, "you can kiss me now."

"Oh!" He feels himself grow hotter. "Right, yes. Was just getting to that." He tries to grin at her even though he feels a flutter of nerves in his stomach as he leans in, slipping an arm round her waist. Her lips are soft and warm and her body moulds into his perfectly as she presses herself against him.

He can't really remember much of the last kiss they'd shared, except the brief feel of her lips against his before everything went black as the universe had changed. The first time she'd kissed him - the first time for him that was - she did so easily and confidently, with relaxed familiarity. Now this time…she's confident alright - but that's about as far as the similarities go.

Her hands shoot up to fist in his hair, tugging it as she moves her open mouth against his. She pushes into him, moaning softly into the kiss and he can feel both her hearts pounding in her chest. As his tongue meets her eager one he finds himself being pushed backwards, his back meeting with the ground with the weight of her on top of him.

He kisses her for a few more moments, and hell, she tastes delicious, and she feels wonderful, and it is only when he feels her hurried hands start to push his jacket off his shoulders as she straddles his waist and wriggles against him, that it occurs to him that she may have more than just kissing in mind. He gently pushes her back and off him and tries to sit them up but she is going for his neck now, kissing and giving him little nips of her teeth there.

"River, just - hold on a minute, I -"

Ignoring him, she leans in for another kiss.

"River, look!" He says as he dodges her, pointing to the sky in an attempt to distract her. "Look, see those stars up there in the little clump just left of the moon?"

She grins at him, her eyes on his lips as she licks her own. "Hmm, no."

"Well - _look!" _He exclaims, flustered. "That constellation can only ever be seen from this side of the galaxy once every six thousand years and it's called _- River!"_

Lifting her head from where she'd bitten down on his neck she looks at him with a grin. "It's called River? What a co-incidence." She purrs.

"_No_, it's not called River, it - you _bit_ me!"

She laughs at his outraged expression. "Sorry sweetie, I couldn't help myself. You can bite me back if you like."

"Uh - that's alright, I - nmph-!" She had cut off his words with her mouth on his, kissing him deeply as she drapes herself over him again. He feels her straddle him once more and forces himself to pull away from her, although she only moves her mouth from his to continue her kisses along his jaw line and down his neck.

"River -" He tries to hold her at arm's length. "Stop it. This isn't -"

She pouts prettily down at him. "Sorry sweetie, would you rather be on top?"

"What - no, I -"

With great skill and quick as a flash, the young Time-lady manages to roll them so she is on her back and he pulled on top of her. Her arms have a death grip around the back of his neck and he finds himself totally trapped against her. She grins up at him as she rubs her body none-too-subtly against his.

"River, will you -!"

"Less talking Doctor," she breaths, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "More doing."

"River!" He finally manages to wriggle away from her and sits up, flustered, straightening his clothes. "This is _not_ why I brought you here!"

She laughs, leaning up on her elbows and her eyes boring in to his with that seducing gaze of hers. "Oh come on sweetie, it's alright. I know you're trying to be all…_proper_ with the first date thing which is very sweet and really, it is lovely. It's wonderful, all of this is…beyond amazing," she waves her hand around to indicate the spectacular setting and then she sits up. "But Doctor." She leans in close to him then, her hair tickling his cheek and her voice so low and soft in his ear it makes the hairs on the back of his neck stands up. "Really all I want tonight is for you to make love to me."

He swallows hard at that, and scratches the back of his head. And straightens his jacket. And fiddles with his bow-tie. "Well. I…"

River giggles, and moves her hand to his bow-tie to take over the fiddling. "Doctor. I'm the one who should be nervous. You've probably done this with me loads of times…"

He clears his throat again. "Well…actually, River. I um…I'm not quite as far along in our relationship as you obviously think. Not far at all. In fact…this is still relatively early days for me too."

She gasps then.

"_Really? _So it'll be a first for both of us? How exciting!"

"River!" He grasps her by the shoulders and holds her at arms length when she tries to kiss him this time. "Just - …" Looking away from her burning gaze he sighs heavily.

She pouts at him. "What's wrong sweetie?" His arms go weak in their position and she manages to sidle closer to him again, his hands still on her shoulders. "Are you shy? That's alright," she giggles then and leans in to peck his jaw line. "I'm not."

"No I'm not _shy_, don't be ridiculous, I'm over a millennia old of course I'm not shy, it's just - _River! _Just stop that for a minute!"

Another little laugh leaves her lips and she ceases kissing his neck whilst trying to undo his bow tie to pout at him again, that glint still in her eye.

"What you've done for me, I just need you to know that -" She runs her hand up his thigh, her nails scratching lightly at his trousers - "River!"

She laughs that naughty little laugh again when he grabs hold of her wrist. Dear God she was a handful this young. In fact he was sure if she kept this up he was going to develop some sort of nervous twitch before the night was out.

It wasn't that he didn't enjoy her affections, just that this was just beginning for her and he wanted it to begin _right_ and he'd had tonight all planned out and this wasn't how it was supposed to be going! Plus there was the fact that he hadn't been romantically involved with a woman in so, so long that he had to admit he'd rather forgotten how to behave. And he certainly didn't recall ever having been with one quite so…_forward_ as young River Song was proving to be -

"River!" He cries again, grabbing her hands and plucking them from his shirt buttons, hastily re-doing the ones she'd managed to undo. "You know," he pants, his voice a tad higher-pitched than usual, looking flustered as he sits back away from her, running a hand through his hair. "You're making this very difficult for me!"

"Making what difficult?"

"Well if you'd just - _behave_ - yourself for three minutes you might find out!"

She huffs and shuffles away from him, sitting up straight. "Okay. You've got three minutes. Go."

"What? No - it's not…it doesn't work like that, it's all wrong now!"

"What's all wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything. I -" He sighs loudly, running a stressed hand through his hair again and adjusting his bow-tie.

"Sweetie, I think you need to relax," River purrs, placing a hand on his arm and edging closer to him again. "I can help with that," she says and presses a hot kiss to his jaw line, rubbing her hand on his arm.

"Will you just - _stop_ trying to seduce me, I -"

Abruptly she stops what she's doing and sits back, pouting at him with a pseudo hurt expression on her face. "Well if you don't want me Doctor, all you had to do was say and you might as well take me back to Stormcage right now."

"No, it's not that," he hurriedly assures her, "I do, want to, to…" he waves his arms about a bit, "with you, very much, it's just…"

"Well then," she leans in to kiss him again but he dodges her lips.

"It's just!" He continues, his voice high, "Just that I need to tell you that you've done more for me than anyone ever should for _anyone_ and that I can't express how much I -"

She is grinning while he babbles on and trying to sneak in kisses, loving how flustered it's making him and her hands are at his bow-tie again, and her lips are at his neck -

"- how much I - that, I think that you're - well I -"

"Oh Doctor do you ever stop talking?" She teases, leaning in to him to go to kiss him again but he cuts her off with suddenly shouting -

"_Damn it River I'm trying to propose here!"_

She freezes at that, staring at him in stunned silence. "Wh - what?" She manages to whisper after a moment.

He sighs heavily, running a hand through his hair as he looks away from her. "You never make anything bloody easy do you?" He grumbles as he roots around in his inside pocket. "Had it all worked out in my head but then nothing ever goes to plan with you, does it River Song? And let me tell you, you are _hard work_ this young." He huffs as he pulls out a little square box and holds it out to her. "Here."

She can only stare, looking up at him and then down at the box. "Doctor," she finally manages to speak. "Not that I'm not incredibly touched by this but…sweetie, aren't we already married?"

He huffs again. "Well, yes and no. We did get married but that was in an alternate timeline which now never actually happened so…no, we're not married. Technically speaking. And anyway, that wedding was a bit rubbish to be honest and you don't deserve rubbish you deserve amazing, and brilliant and, and God, River, you went to prison for me, you've given up your _life_ for mine and you deserve everything I could ever give you and more and…well, I suppose what I'm trying to say is will you marry me, River Song? You're amazing, and I love you, and I want you to be my wife. And I'm really rubbish at these sorts of things so will you just take the ring?"

She looks up at him with tears in her eyes, and manages to smile that teasing smirk. "Don't get ahead of yourself honey. I haven't said yes yet."

"You already married me, you don't get to back out now."

She laughs and reaches out to take the box from his hands, opening it carefully and drawing in a sharp breath when she sees the contents.

"It's beautiful," she breathes. "_Stunning_, I've…never seen anything like it…"

He looks shy again. "It's a Tryston stone, from…Gallifrey. My home planet, it…only two of those made it off the planet, it's the most rare and valuable gem in the universe. It's a thousand times tougher than a diamond, nothing can destroy it, and it's black colour - that's because the particles inside are so compact and they're - well they're like negatives poles of a magnet so they're constantly moving, repelling each other, they move so fast they create every colour of the rainbow. If you look closely you can see all the colours swirling together. And feel the heat of it? It's always warm, even in the coldest of temperatures it will still feel warm."

As he finishes rambling she looks up from the ring with tears in her eyes. "You do know how to make a girl feel special," she whispers.

He lifts a hand to brush the backs of his fingers along her cheek. "You are."

He kisses her then, and unlike the others that night, this kiss is sweet and gentle and full of love and holds unspoken promises of past and future for both of them.

"Yes, I'll marry you," River tells him when they part. "I'll be your wife. I was made for you, and from the second I was born my life's been devoted to you - to killing you…but then I met you, and fell in love with you, and that devotion hasn't changed. You are, always have been, and always will be my world Doctor."

He smiles at her, and the young Time-Lady is shocked to see tears glimmering in his eyes.

"Oh look. You have a sensitive side too. Well aren't you just the perfect man now?" She speaks softly, a teasing hint to her voice although she means what she says.

He smiles, shaking his head with a soft chuckle. "Here, give me your hand," he says as he takes the box from her and takes the ring out. She feels herself grinning as he gently slips it onto her finger, both her hearts beating a tandem in her chest and she briefly wonders when exactly she'd turned into a love-sick fool for this man but knows she wouldn't have it any other way.

Their lips meet softly again and the kiss is brief and sweet and he pulls her to him when they part, wrapping her in his tight embrace and burying his face in her hair, inhaling deeply, a happy sound of contentment and peace. She presses her face into his neck, her own arms clutching him tightly and for a moment she thinks that she couldn't ever want more until she remembers that there's a more she _definitely _wants from him.

"Sweetie?" She speaks softly into his neck.

"Yes?"

She kisses his ear, and her voice is a whisper in it. "Now will you make love to me?"

He smiles widely, turning his head to press a kiss to her hair then he scoops her down underneath him and leans over her to find her lips with his own. She doesn't have to ask twice.

And as she fists her hands in his hair and throws a leg round his waist he thinks the word _wife _as she writhes beneath him, and the Doctor decides that when it comes to her, he definitely doesn't mind having his hands full.

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><p><em>Well there we go, I am aware it's sickly mushy but I'm girl and we all love a bit of fluff really don't we? I've also decided that I absolutely love writing the Doctor, I love writing River too but he's just so much fun with the way he talks and behaves and everything he seems to just write himself :) <em>

_Please tell me what you thought of this sweeties! I was debating writing another chapter with a…slightly higher rating, but quite like it as it is now it's finished not sure if I should leave well enough alone and just crack on with one of the others I've started? Thoughts would be appreciated! :) Lots of love to you sweeties! x_


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